Engine construction



July 3, 1928.

A. ANDREWS ENGINE CONSTRUCTION Filed June 29, 1926 2 SheetS--Sheetl,Juiy3, 1928. 1,675,629

v A. ANDREWS ENGIN CONSTRUCTION Filed June 29, 1926 2 sheets-sheet 2 l'`....F.IE 5

Patented July 3, 1928.

' UNITED STATES 1,615,629 PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT ANDREWS, OF SPEARFISH, SOUTH DAKOTA.

ENGINE CONSTRUCTION.

v Application led June 29, 1926, Serial No. 119,384, and in CanadaDecember, 1925.

My invention relates to improvements in engines of the expansible fluidlor. pressure type, and more particularly to those having onev or morecylinders arranged parallel to 8 the power shaft.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved enginewhich is simple in construction and composed `of few parts, so that itwill be durable, efficient and reliable in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an engine of thischaracter composed of i a plurality of cylinders arranged around thepower shaft and so constructed and mounted that any one or more of themmay be readily detached as a unit without disturbing the others orrendering them inoperative.

A further object of the invention is to provide an engine of thischaracter in which the reciprocatory motion of the piston is convertedto continuous rotary motion of the power shaft by a traveler operatingin a continuous cam groove, and in which the vparts sub'ect to thegreatest wear may be readily a justed to compensate for the same.

Thel above and other objects of the invention are accom lished by theconstructions illustrated in t eaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1is a plan view of a multiple cylinder engine with some of the partsbroken away and in section.

Flg. 2 is a vertical. transverse section taken on line B-B of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical transversev section taken on line A -A ofFig. 1.

Fi 4 is a detail sectional view taken on line -D of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a lon itudinal sectional view through an engine aving a singlecylinder with two pistons operating-therein.

Fig. 6 is a face view of the traveler or cam-engaging member showing itsV-shaped rib which o crates in the cam groove.

In the em odiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 o'f thedrawings, I employ a plurality of parallel cylinders 1 arran ed aroundand parallel with a power shat 12. Any number of these cylinders may beemplo ed and each one together with its valve mec anism and operatingparts is a complete unit which may be readily detached from the otherswithout affecting the operation ofl the latter. This detachable mountingof the cylinders is (preferably accomplished by providing en members orplates 11 which have around their edges curved seats 11n to receive andengage the cyllnders immediately adjacent the flanged ends 1 of thecylinders and by providing von the cylinders at each end outwardlypro]ecting lugs lb, the lugs bein bolted as shown 1n Fig. 2 to curvedinwar ly bent flanges 11 formed on the edges of the lates l1 between thecurved seats 11a. The siiaft l2 is mounted in suitable bearings 10arranged centrally 1n the end plates 11 and it may have one. end apulley 9 or any other means for taking power therefrom. The engine maybe supported as a whole by any suitable means, such for example, as thelegs or standards 11d.

Operating in the end portions of each cylinder are v pistons 8, thepistons of each pair being connected by a connecting rod75 7 which hasits central portion enlarged and formed with 'a transversely extendinginternally screw-threaded opening 7a to receive a cross head member 7".The latter is cylindrical in form and projects through a longitudinalslot ld in the cylinder 1 and it has an externally threaded portionwhich screws in the opening 7 to permit adjustment of the cross headtransversely of the piston rod. The cross head7b is locked in adjustedposition by providing on its inner end a reduced threaded portion-7engaged .by lock nuts 7li Whlch screw up against one edge of the pistonrod as shown in Fig. 3. The outer end of the cross head member 7* isformed with a cylindrical socket 7 to receive an oscillatin pin 4, andthis outer portion beyond` the s ot 1d in the cylinder carries onerace-way for a series of anti-friction bearing balls 5, the other racefor lwhich is in an anti-friction ring or roller 5 mounted to travelbetween two parallel uideways 1S mounted on the cylinder ad]acent theslot 1d. The pin 4 has on its outer end an oscillating block or.traveler 4 which is formed on its outer face with a transverselyextending V-shaped rib 4b to engage and travel in a continuous camgroove 3 formedon the outer surface of a cylindrical enlargement 3 keyedor otherwise secured to the shaft 12. The cam groove 3 passes around'theenlargement 3 a. plurality of times, preferably twice, so that thisgroove has substantiallythe form of a figure 8. By this arran ement, itwill be seen that on each comp ete movement of the pistons 8, the shaft12 will be caused to rotate twice. seen that this camand traveler.connection between the pistons and the power shaft will double thenumber of revolutions of the shaft with the same piston travel rcquiredto rotate the usual crank shaft. The above mentioned adjustment of thecross head member 7b in the piston rod permits the'pin 4 to be advancedwhen any appreciable wear occurs on parts 3 and 4, the V-shape of thegroove 3a permitting the V-shaped rib 4b to move deeper into it duringsuch adjustment. The mechanism above described 'for converting thereciprocatory motion of one pair of pistons to the rotary motion of thepower shaft applies of course to all of the cylinder units which may beused in the engine, the one cam groove 3 serving all of these units.

Any suitable :valve mechanisms may be employed at the ends of thecylinders, but in Fig. 1 I have shown slide valves with suitable portsco-acting with ports in the ends of the cylinder and the valve housing.When slide valves such as 16a are em loyed, the two slide valves foreach cylin er are connected by a slidable rod 15, the connection beinpreferably adjustable as shown in Fig. 5. lach of the rods 15 carries acam traveler or member 20 which may be similar in construction to partsshownin Fig. 3. The swiveled or oscillatin pin of the member 20"*` has aV-shaped rib to enter-a continuous `V-shaped ycam roove 2a formed in asecond cylindrical en argement 2 on the shaft 12 as shown in Fig. 1. Thecam groove 2 also extends twice around the shaft and is in the form of afigure 8 although this valve operating cam groove has short cross overportions connected by long straight portions so that the valves will beheld in their l proper positions during the necessary inlet and exhaustperiods of the operation of the engine. The member 2Oa may be adjustably mounted on the valve rod 15 as shown in Fig. 5 to permit of theproper timing of the valve. It will be seen on reference to Fig. 1 thatthe one cam groove 2a serves to control all of the valves for theseveral cylinderswhen two or more cylinders are used.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings, I have shown an engine with a single cylinderhaving two pistons operating therein. This engine is substantiallyidentical with any one of the units ofthe multiple cylinder engine shownin Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The cylinder 1 is suitably supported by end platesor members 11 having bearin 10 for the shaft 12a: On this shaft are t eenlargements 3b and 2 havingFthe cam grooves similar to those shown inig. 1. The pistons 18 in the cylinder are connected by the rod 7t whichhas in it the adjustable cross head member 7 5 corres onding to 7b inFig. 3. This cross hea cart ries the oscillating'traveler or block whichIt will therefore be operates in the continuous cam groove of enlarement 3. The valves 16b are connecte by the rods 15 and are preferablyadjustably connected to such rod by threading the ends of the latter toscrew into sockets in the valves and providin lock nuts as shown in Fig.5. Adjustaby connected to the valve rod 15y is the housing or casing ofa swiveled or oscillating traveler 20c which co-acts with the cam on theenlarge'- ment 2. The housing 20b is adjustably connected to the valverod 15 by having a threaded portionl of such valve extend through anopening in the housing and employin nuts .20"--20e on such threadedportion o the rod on opposite sides of the housing as shown in Fig. 5.This construction permits of the proper timing of the valves.

From the fore oing, it will be seen that an efiicient and esirableengine mechanism results from the construction illustrated anddescribed, but it will be understood that variations in construction maybe made within the spirit and scope-of the invention as claimed.

I claim 1. An engine comprising a shaft, two end lates having centrallyarranged bearings or the shaft and having their edges formed with curvedseats and inturned flanges, a plurality of parallel` cylinders arrangedaround the shaft and havin detachably engaged with sai seats, thecylinders also havin at their intermediate portions longitudinalslotsand at their end portions outwardly projecting lugs detachably securedto the inturned anges on the end plates, guide-ways on the cylindersadjacent their slots, a pair of pistons in each cylinder, a piston rodlconnecting the pistons of each pair, cross heads ,on the piston rodsand slidable in the guide-ways, a cylindrical enlargement on the shafthaving a continuous cam groove extending a plurality of times around theenlargement, a traveler on each cross head to engage the cam groove, avalve mechanism at each end of each c linder and detachable therewith, asli able valve-operating rod for the valve mechanisms of each cylinder,a second cylindrical venlargement'. 011l the shaft and having acontinuous cam-groove, and members on said valve rods to. engage thelast-mentioned groove.

2. An en 'ne com rising a rotatably mounted shat, a cylin er supportedparallel to the shaft and havi its central portion facing the shaft formwith a longitudinal slot, opposed guide-ways adjacent the slot, a' pairof pistons in the cylinder, a connecting rod unitingthe pistons andformed with a Itransverse opening, a cross head adjustv able in said oenin a valve mechanism at each end of t e cy inder, a. slidablevalveiianged ends operating rod connecting the valve `mechanisms, acylindrical enlargement on the shaft formed with a continuous V-shapedcam groove extending a lurality of times around the enlargement, a-shaped traveler on the cross head to engao'e the cam groove, a second clindrical en argement on the shaft formedI with a continuous cam groove,and a member on the valve rod to engage the last mentioned cam groove.

, 3. In an en ine, a rotatably mounted shaft having an en argementformed with a continous cam groove of V-shape in cross section, acylinder mounted parallel to the shaft, a piston in the cylinder, areciprocating piston rod connected to the piston and formed with atransverse screw-threaded opening, spaced guide-ways parallel with lthecylinder, cylindrical socket in one end and a reduced a cross headmember having a screw-threaded portion at its other end, a portion ofsaid member being screw-threaded for adjustment in the opening in thepiston rod, a nut on the reduced end of said member to engage one edgeof the piston rod, an anti-friction bearlng ring on the socketed end ofsaid member for rolling contact with the guide-ways, an oscillating pinin the socket of said member and having at its outer` end a travelerblock with a V- shaped rib to enter the cam-groove for the purpose setforth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ALBERT ANDREWS.

